More David Bradshaw photos

[bradshaw]

Mark.... Airstream belongs to friend whom asked me to kill her goat. Airstream interior was completely stripped, resealed, and re-paneled in cedar this summer. There is another brand of aluminum "fuselage" trailer which impressed me as every bit well built. Can't think of the name, but I hunted out of one some years ago.
David Bradshaw

[Fowler]

David,

I have to ask why you seat a bullet deep in a 44 mag case rather than normal in a 44sp case?

I have a 4" 45colt Mountain Gun that I run a 230gr FLNPB over 7.4gr of W231, I have run it in 45 Schofield cases as often as I have 45 colt cases. The only issue I have had is getting the larger rim of the Schofield to drop from speed loaders. I cast the bullets fairly hard, harder than a 850fps load be but they lead if softer and this load has finally seemed to workout the accuracy/recoil balance for me. N frames dont do well for my with stiff loads, even 250gr bullets at 1100fps will have me set the gun aside after a cylinder full when a 400gr bullet at that same speed in my 475 is fine for short shooting sessions.

[bradshaw]

Fowler.... Here is an accurate load for your S&W .45 Colt:
Cast 250/255 SWC; 6.7/231 or HP-38; standard primer; .45 Colt case; COL=1.500". Deep seat to crimp above front band. I have shot this in an 1897 Colt Peacemaker 4-3/4", scoring 5x6 on Tin Man at two football fields. That revolver measured .452" chamber exits, with .4515" grooves, as I recall----beautiful.

I load the 255 SWC with up to 8 gr./231 or HP-38.

The cast 255 RNFP is more load-sensitive, according to my more limited loading. I tend to seat a bit deeper than book. I crimp light loads lightly, just light enough to hold. There is no need to crimp heavy unless the load recoils heavily. Better to size the case for a firm grip in the "wheelbase" of the bullet. A firm grip on the bullet produces lower extreme spreads than a heavy crimp.

Unless a heavy crimp is needed, why drag a lead bullet over it?

During a tour of Federal Cartridge years ago, when Federal aggressively pursued producing the very best handgun ammunition, I was shown how a very thin adhesive was applied inside the .44 mag case, virtually gluing the seated bullet in place. There was no more accurate handgun ammunition in the world than the .44 Magnum Federal loaded.
David Bradshaw

[paul105]

I don’t have any where near the experience that David has, but I’ll add a few comments relating to his post.

I’ve been deep seating the RCBS 270 SAA (Scovill Design) over 8.0gr of HP38 (THIS LOAD IS ABOVE SAAMI .45 Colt specs) for use in my FA97 .45 Colt for years. My dies create enough neck tension to hold the bullet in place without a crimp (I set the crimp die to just remove the bell from the case mouth). Even in a lever gun the bullet doesn’t move in the case at all. The bullets weigh right at 280gr and the load chronos 900 fps from my 4 ¼” M97. The same load in a FA83 w/.45 Colt cylinder will shoot clover leafs at 25yds if I do my part.

I stumbled on some primed .454 Speer cases on sale. Didn’t realize it at first, but the inside of the necks had a glue/cement to retard bullet movement. After struggling with cases stuck on the powder drop tube on my Dillon 550 I remembered something the Curmudgeon mentioned on his old website and looked inside the case mouth. That’s when I discovered the cement. I fixed the stuck case problem by replacing the .45 powder drop tube with a .44.

These cases have produced some of the most accurate ammo I’ve ever loaded in the .454. The center group in the picture has been verified on several occasions and tracks out to 100yds (the farthest I’ve shot it on paper).



Paul

[bradshaw]

Paul.... Thanks for the dope. Obviously you approach knowledge analytically. Is the Scovill .45 270 a wide nose hunting bullet, or is it designed primarily to feed in lever actions?

We are in the middle of a snow storm; I can barely make out trees at 200 yards, where various metal pots sit on field stones, calling out for hot lead from my lonely sixguns.
David Bradshaw

[paul105]

David,

It's a semi wadcutter. Here's a picture of the 255gr (nominal) Keith on the left and the 270gr (actual 280gr +) on the right. Both were cast by Lynn Halstead (LAH here) of Dry Creek bullets.



Paul

[2 Dogs]

You guys are far smarter than I will ever be. I have found some really accurate combinations for my sixguns, but far more out of just dogged determination than brain power.....

Lots of hard earned knowledge here. I quit loading in general for my sixguns long ago. I know load SPECIFICALLY for each individual sixgun and consider it a bonus when a load shoots in more than one!

[hammerdown77]

Paul105,

Just to make sure I'm understanding this correctly....you're seating that 270 SAA so that you crimp over the front edge of the driving band? That's pretty deep. I've had really good luck with that bullet at that charge of HP38, but I don't seat it deep like that.

What bullet were you using in the Speer 454 cases that shot such tight groups?

[Fowler]

Hammer,

Paul is shooting these in a Freedom Arms (or two) model 97 that requires a 1.600" OAL to fit in the cylinder. There are probably more Keith style bullets that if crimped in the crimp groove will be too long for the cylinder than ones that work alright so with that gun it is pretty standard procedure to get loads to chamber.

I have crimped over the driving band in the past to make short cylindered guns work but I have never done so to gain accuracy or velocity such as David suggests. It will be worth trying out when the weather warms to see if they shoot better.

[paul105]

Yes, crimped over front drive band -- note the comment in the orig post THIS LOAD IS ABOVE SAAMI .45 Colt specs. For those that don't know, the FA97 has a short cyl and max OAL is right at 1.600".

The center .454 target was shot with a 300gr Hornady XTP Mag.

Paul

[paul105]

Bill, we must have been typing at the same time.

[bradshaw]

Sent Lee some Redhawk pictures to post. A lull in the snow found saw me grab the 5-1/2-inch Redhawk for a try at a stainless steel pot, 200 yards.

My first shot, resting revolver on a snowy rag, CLUNK'd the pot with a cast 240 SWC deep-seated over 10.6/HS-6, Federal 150, Federal .44 mag brass. COL=1.500". Velocity about 1050 fps. Took about 1/2-red ramp above rear sight.

Second shot, Federal 44C Sierra 220 Full Profile Jacket, holding 1/3-red ramp... TONK!

To beat the next installment of snow, I took a photo.

Note: the cast 240 SWC over 10.6/HS-6 is a standard deep-seated load I've used for decades. It is not quite as accurate as the cast 240 SWC over 5.5/HP-38 or Win 231, but about 200 fps faster. It is still good enough for rabbits at 50 yards and, evidently, good enough for a stainless steel pot now and then.

Fermin, I ain't any smarter than you. Like you, I try to notice what works.
David Bradshaw

[bradshaw]

Someone asked me, “What is a barnyard .44?”
This is an example: M-29 4-inch, stoked with cast 240 SWC deep seated over 5.5/HP-38 (aka Win 231), standard primer, COL=1.500” (depends on bullet. It’s reasonably low sound is important. Another example, the 9mm Luger is most-quiet centerfire, yet much more limited, as it is entirely projectile-dependent and placement-dependent, and any solid has high ricochet potential.
David Bradshaw

[bigmuddy]

Seeing this post come up again got me to finally try deep seating a bullet. Used 5.7 gr. WW231, 240 gr. SWC, Starline brass and CCI primers. My 4” M29-2 seemed to really llke the recipe. Shot various steel plates out to 150 yards with solid rings from all 18 rounds I had loaded.

Going to be a fun and functional round to carry on the farm. Thanks for sharing again David.

Dan

[bradshaw]

Benjamin.... photos show:
* Contouring middle finger support & protection, forming French curve with trigger guard.
* Narrowing toe of the S&W factory grip for pinky leverage.
* Contour loading/unloading scallop, with clearance for HKS speed loader.
* Preservation of grip shoulder at top of backstrap.

Note: shortcuts taken on later target stocks prevent proper contour behind trigger guard to provide proper weight support of revolver by middle finger, while protecting middle finger on recoil.
David Bradshaw